images of life.

I don't have much to say about today, except for a continuation of my last post.  I would encourage you to read that one if you haven't as it explains a lot of the past two weeks of my trip.  I haven't posted any pictures yet, and I have tried to but it simply takes too long, sorry.  However, recently I have found a lot of joy in capturing my moments here as well as those that I witness in others on my team.  We leave for Luwero tomorrow, and I am eager to see what the Lord has prepared for this trip and what I will learn.

holy provision

Today was such a testament to God's provision in all ways, not just physical and material needs, but also in any situation.

It still amazes me how perfect His plans are and further affirms my trust in Him.  First of all, this morning we went to Sanyu Babies Home, a different home than the last one, and I had a much better experience.  The organization was much more organized, and I could tell these kids were being raised well, whereas the previous home seemed to always be in some sort of disarray.  I was blessed by a woman who I helped do laundry with, I told her I was from Michigan in America and her face dropped in shock as she dropped what she was doing.  She told me her brothers have been living in Michigan for 20 years and she hasn't spoken to them since she left, she wanted to write a letter and maybe send them some things and asked if I could deliver them to her brothers either by mail or by visiting them.  I told her if she could get me their address I would happily do that.  She was so excited, I can't wait to talk with her again.  

Just to begin, I will type up a bit of what I wrote in my journal this morning, as I feel this sums up much of the things that go on in my head that is hard to sort through:

"Lord Jesus,

I love to picture You walking along the streets of this city.  Each time we drive to a project, a school, a church, I let the reality of this place sink into my being.  That the huts on the side of the road are not only someone's only form of shelter, but that they most likely hold many people of all ages in a space smaller than my dorm room.  It makes me anxious to see how much needs to be done here.  This morning, however, I am reminded of a verse that has been prayed over my trip by a dear friend.  Song of Songs 4:16 'Awake north wind, and come, south wind!  Blow on my garden, that it's fragrance may spread abroad.  Let my Lover come into His garden and taste its choice fruits.'  The imagery of Your seeds being blown by the wind, carried all across this country, and growing into strong trees of faith, bearing fruit to provide for those around them, in order to give back to their community, is beautiful.  I then picture You walking through the streets and smiling at Your beautiful children, Your strong trees, and it gives me rest.  You know their condition and their needs, You know what needs to be done, and You will do it with the help of some faithful servants.  I just pray that all the servants You have sent here have the same peace.  That even when they want to take control of Your plans for this city because they cannot see how it will turn out, that You would speak humble trust into our hearts."

Before I tell my story of what happened this afternoon, in terms of God's provision, I want to backtrack to a couple of days ago.  Something that, at the beginning of this trip, I really struggled with was the lack of alone-time I had where I could just be me and God in prayer.  It is something I still have to work at in order to get in that quiet place here, living with 26 other people, but I am learning.  I was really just craving some quiet-time with the Lord and I began to pray that I would be able to have the time, where no one would interrupt me.  I woke up a half-hour early, just so I could try and get it in, but still people would walk by and start to talk to me, and it simply wasn't the same.  Then the volunteer who was leading morning devotions said that he wasn't going to do the normal group devotions.  He said that he was going to give us some scripture that the Lord had laid on his heart, and that we were allowed to take the normal time allotted for devotions to simply be alone with the Lord.  That we could either meditate on the verses, or simply just be with God in any way we needed to.  Here is the first amazing provision.  

In my quiet time, I asked the Lord to speak something to me, anything He needed me to hear or do.  Before I left for this trip, every time I asked this of God, He would simply respond with "just be with me, and recognize me in all you do."  So, naturally, this is what I expected to hear.  Instead He told me to volunteer to share a message at a secondary school this week.  I was terrified.  I have known that it would eventually be my turn to share, but I was so nervous for that day even when I didn't know it was coming.  I asked repeatedly, "are you sure?  really?"  but I could not shake the voice in my heart urging me to share this week.  I finally gave up and asked the Lord to show me what to say, because I certainly didn't know where to start, what they would need to hear, which scripture to read.  I flipped open my Bible, and it opened to 2 Corinthians 4.  I began to read some of the verses in that chapter that I had already underlined and knew this was what the Lord wanted me to share with these teenagers.  It was 2 Corinthians 4:8-10; 16-17.  It reads, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you ... Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."  At the time, I did not worry about what I would say with these verses, how I could best be able to explain them, because I'm not sure I fully believed that this week I would speak.  However, the Lord is faithful to His word, and today I had to speak.  We were planning on going to a secondary school, and a different person from my group was designated to speak.  However, he ended up volunteering somewhere he worked at in 2007 when he was here, so my friend Diana asked me to share.  I knew I had to say yes, and I was praising God for His impeccable plans, but I would be lying if I told you I wasn't nervous.  The whole ride there I just prayed that God would give me the words, and that it would be His Spirit using me as a vessel, speaking through me, because I knew I did not have the words or the confidence necessary to truly touch these teenagers.  When we started praise and worship at the school, the presence of the Spirit was loud that it was almost ringing in my ears, sending goosebumps up my arms.  These kids were incredible.  It was then that I realized these kids did not need a life-changing sermon, they simply needed a little encouragement in hard times.  I did it, the Lord totally spoke to these kids, and it wasn't anything huge, but it was what He wanted them to know.  It was simple encouragement to keep going no matter what hardships they face each day, because these troubles are only temporary and each day the Lord longs to renew us in faith, that His favorite thing to do is bless His children,  and that we have an eternity of hope to look forward to.  

I still can't believe how simply the Lord provided me with words for these kids.  I have always thought it would be hard to discern exactly what He had to speak through me, that somehow it would be so deep that I wouldn't be able to decipher it.  But He spelled it out so clearly, and I ended up talking to a girl at the end named Agatha who just thanked me so much and said that I had truly blessed her.  She is an amazing girl as well, an aspiring doctor and incredibly smart.  I hope to see her again.  

harsh realities.

Yesterday I got my head braided, or as they call it here, plaited.  This was simply for conveniences sake, because now I don't have to shower as often, and when I do I do not have to wash my hair, shortening my showers, and saving money on shampoo and conditioner.  The person who did my hair was a friend of one of the Ugandan volunteers who works with Empower-A-Child named Rita.  It was my first time using what the Ugandans call a boda-boda, which is basically a motorcycle taxi where you sit on the back a motorcycle and pay the driver once you have reached your destination.  Most of the volunteers here are scared of taking a boda-boda because the people here simply do not follow any sort of traffic laws.  The boda-bodas weave in and out of cars the entire way, without ever stopping.  However, I don't know what it is here, but I have had a sense of peace in every situation I have been thrown into.  The ride was incredible.  It was so cool to be able to see a part of this beautiful country in that way.  I felt completely free and adventurous.

This leads me to another thought that I may have mentioned before, my adventurous spirit is absolutely flourishing here.  Each time I step out of the gate there is a new adventure to conquer.  First of all, the gate in itself reminds me of a secret passageway leading to a strange and exciting place I've never seen before.  It is a sheet of iron with a tiny door in the center that you have to duck under to get out.  To get to the city you must wind through rows and rows of houses and shops, climbing the red dusty piles of sand and rock, jumping over potholes, bricks, or merchant's items.  I absolutely love it.

Backtracking now, after sitting with my head in Rita's friends lap for five hours while she plaited my hair, I asked Rita to show me her home.  I keep forgetting that our way of life is so different from theirs because to me, I do not see them as any different from myself.  So when I stepped into Rita's home and noticed the lack of electricity, the kitchen being the size of my pantry, the bedroom that once housed 4 boys at one time being as big as my brother's room, and each room only furnished with what was necessary (a mattress, some bowls, and clothes) I was shocked.  How quickly I forget that it is not only these children that are less fortunate than myself, but also the people I work with and love like brothers and sisters.

I know it has only been two weeks here, but something I'm struggling with is the fact that I cannot truly invest in every kid I meet.  We go to so many "projects" during the day and we meet so many awesome kids, each of whom I remember their names, and I may never see them again.  I think this is different for me though since in my first week we went to Gulu, and we will be leaving again for Luwero next week.  I have talked to a few people who have been here for a while longer, and they have been able to invest in the same kids at the different projects for a while, but they do agree that it is so hard to do this effectively when our time with them is so limited.  However, I have been reassured that I will see some of these kids many times again.  I long to see Lydia, little Josephine who I met today at church, Irene at the Remand Home, and Yella, but I won't have the chance to for at least a week, if at all.  

I think that will be all for now, but again, there is much going on in my mind that I have yet to sort out.  I will continue to try though.

In Love-

Emily  

testimony.

Today was a good day.

We visited primary schools all day and we acted out the story of Daniel and the Lions Den for the kids and told a quick message to tie up the story.  The kids were very attentive and laughed at all the right parts.  

The first primary school we went to was at the top of an extremely high hill, I would venture to call it a mountain.  The drive up to the top of this "mountain" was SO scary.  All along the way were stone quarries, so women were crushing stones next to these giant canyons that had been carved out over time to get more stone.  This made the drive really scary because the road had been thinned out as the stone quarry carved away more stone.  Our van was constantly tipping at approximately a 30 degree angle, and all I could see was a giant cliff that we could have rolled into.  It was heartbreaking to watch the old women, their bodies covered in wrinkles, their skin seemingly draped over their muscles, standing in the heat of the Ugandan sun cracking rocks.  The women here are incredibly strong.  

Needless to say, I was grateful when we finally arrived at the school.  I was even more impressed when I stepped out of the van and saw the incredible view of Uganda from this place.  It is hard to explain it in words, and even the pictures I took don't fully capture the beauty of this country.  We could see all the way from Kampala to Lake Victoria.  It was incredible.  

After we talked with the kids in class, we paired up in groups of 4 consisting of 3 foreign volunteers and 1 Ugandan volunteer.  We each took some of the kids from their classes and asked them to bring us to their home.  The plan was that we were to evangelize to their parents.  The first home we reached was really awkward.  There was one man who was born-again, and his two sister-in-laws were Catholic, but not born-again.  We asked if they wanted to hear what we had to say and they said they did.  We told them the story of Jesus Christ, and they seemed to be in a daze.  They barely said one word except that they were nervous as to what their friends would think if they did commit their lives to Christ.  However, as we were about to leave, they asked us to pray for them because they wanted to accept Christ.  This was so hard though, because they did not seem to really get it.  I still don't know how I feel about evangelizing.  However, we went to the second child's home and it was SUCH an incredible blessing.  After we got to know her a little bit, she told us that she was a born-again Christian.  We were talking a little bit with her (which takes a lot longer here when it needs to be translated), and one of the volunteers I was with asked her if she would be willing to tell us her testimony of how she came to know Christ.  She said she would, and it was so simple and beautiful.  It was such a testimony speaking through God's perfect provision in even the simplest ways.  She said that she met a man when she was young who was already married, but he took her on as another wife.  She became pregnant with her child and he decided to leave her.  He was also mentally impaired, so he later ended up in a mental institution, which is where he is now.  She ended up finding a house to rent, and gave birth to her daughter Pennina.  She tried for years to do everything herself, get food, water, clothes, school fees for her daughter, but it was too much for her.  People were getting tired of doing favors for her, and she knew she couldn't do it on her own.  She asked Jesus into her heart when she realized she needed help running her life.  Since then, she said she praises God for all He has provided her because He has been nothing but faithful to her.  Every day He would provide food and water for her and her daughter.  She was gifted with money anonymously that would be used to pay her daughter's school fees, and then this year, the school decided to give her daughter a scholarship and her daughter now goes to school basically for free.  She said she continues to thank God for all He has done, though she still asks that she would be able to buy her own land and have her own house for her daughter and herself.  She said she is not interested anymore in any relationships with men because of her last failed relationship, but that she feels God calling her to simply care for her daughter.  

It was so amazing to see God's handiwork in even the most desperate of situations.  I felt like I was listening to a story that has been written in the Bible, of God seeing the needs of the poor and providing for His children once they have acknowledged Him as Lord.  Mmmm.  I want to remember that moment forever.  We prayed with her before we left, asking Him for provision with a house and I know He will be faithful to her.  She thanked us for encouraging her in the Lord and blessed us on our journey.  

We then went to another primary school, and the kids were AWESOME!  Oh my word, they were so crazy.  They saw the van with all the mzungus come in and started screaming and dancing.  I could barely step out of the van because about 12 kids came running hugging my legs and my waist.  About four little girls went after my hands to hold as we walked up to greet the headmaster.  We repeated the Daniel in the Lions Den skit, and the kids loved it.  It was so great.  Something that was heartbreaking however, was seeing a little 10-year-old girl carrying her baby sister on her hip.  We were singing and dancing with them, and she was not able to join because she had to hold her sister.  I offered to hold her during the praise and worship, and you could just see the joy on this girls face.  She was able to join with the other kids in just being a kid.  These girls I see everywhere, taking care of their sisters, these are the ones that just break my heart.  They truly are older than their years out of necessity and it makes me sad that they have been forced into a life that does not fulfill the needs of a child.  

The girl, Lydia, from Kyambogo has been calling one of the volunteers cell phones looking for me, I am eager to see her again and hear what she has to say.  

As a brief end to my message, I love this team!  The people here are wonderful and I know many of these friendships will last.  I am also very excited because there is a girl here who I have grown very close to who is from Bristol, England.  She has already said that while I am in France next Spring I can visit her and she will show me around the UK.  

Each day I am falling more and more in love with this place, these people, and my Jesus.

the days go by

Before I tell you the events of my days, I would like to comment on something I love about this country.  The days pass so slowly.  Each day I only worry about the present moment.  These people are so blessed in that their lives require them to live presently as Jesus has called us to do.

Yesterday, we did not have running water.  I decided to not take a shower, because my feet always get covered with the red dirt instantly anyways so I thought I could wait.  However, I jokingly asked one of my Ugandan friends Collin to pray that we would have running water.  I'm not sure he got my sarcasm (well, I really was praying for running water...) because he got really quiet.  I asked him what was going on and he said, "I was just thinking about how you Americans always just expect everything to wait for you, like the water."  This seriously convicted me.  Wow.  I felt like crap, because it was so true.  I prayed a quiet prayer of repentance and asked for forgiveness, after which I asked Him to not give me running water today.  I took my first bucket shower this morning.  

Yesterday we also visited Kyambogo secondary school where I talked with a wonderful girl named Lydia.  She is quiet, and I know she has much on her mind but she has not opened up fully yet.  She has told me that she wants to be born-again, which means she wants to commit her life to Christ, but she cannot yet.  She says that she still struggles with lying to people, and that she wants to work on that before she can be born again.  I got to see her briefly again today, but I pray that God will show her that as long as she repents of her sins, then she is already born into a new life with Him.  This is another cultural difference here in regards to Christianity, there is a lot of focus on being born-again, and many times people are told they are not born-again unless they do certain things and quit other things.  I can tell this is going to be something I struggle with here, telling children that once they believe in Jesus and repent of their sins, they are already born-again.

Today was such a good day!  Oh man, this morning we visited Katalemwa, which is a hospital for severely disabled children and parents.  Our group was assigned to talk and evangelize with the parents.  This was a very trying task for me.  In Uganda, their idea of evangelism is much different than evangelism in America.  They are so focused on making new Christians, that sometimes they forget to make sure the people they are reaching out to understand the weight of their decision.  I asked one of the other American volunteers who has been here for a while about this, and she explained that this is the reason why Christianity here is "a mile wide, but an inch deep."  This is such a good way of explaining what I have encountered with my visit at Katalemwa.  Almost everyone in Uganda says they are a Christian.  However, this could mean that they were simply given a Christian name at birth.  Many say that they are Christians, but they are not born-again.  This is the equivalent to in America when people say they are Christians, but do not practice their faith in their daily lives, they simply go to church on Sunday and that is it.  I guess I'm not sure how to handle this cultural difference that I do not agree with, but I think I will try and talk to the interpreter who was with us at Katalemwa and ask if we can change things a little bit next time.  I am just praying for the people we met today that their decision will effect their lives and that it was or will be heartfelt and genuine.

We then came back for a quick lunch and went to some secondary schools.  One of these times, I must video tape our school visits because they are so impossible to explain in words.  We got to speak with the Scripture Union.  This is a national club in Africa that is practiced in the schooling systems.  It is just a club for Christians to meet for fellowship and worship.  This Scripture Union was meeting during their lunch period, instead of doing recess.  There were so many of them!  We just encouraged them at how cool they are for giving up playing futbol with their friends so that they could worship God.  This was quickly responded with a room full of Ugandans screaming: "PRAISE THE LORD!" "AMEN!"  They were so much fun to sing with and encourage.  

We came back to the house later and rested a bit, and then there was an optional trip to a town called Kyambogo.  There is a primary and secondary school there which Empower-A-Child goes to regularly.  Many of us simply went to the secondary school to play sports with the kids after school was over.  However, five of us (including myself) chose to go to a small village of "squatters" to hang out with the people and encourage them in the Lord.  This village consisted of some Acholi families.  Acholi is the tribe that occupies the north, mainly the town and district of Gulu, which we had just visited.  However they have just recently settled in Kyambogo.  This was probably the highlight of my day.  We walked into a man's home and were instantly given the best seat in the house, once again their hospitality astounds me.  We asked him to tell us a little about himself, we didn't even ask him if he believed in Jesus and he told us his testimony.  The Ugandan who had come with me and the other volunteers, Ivan, asked him why he was talking about his testimony.  The man told us that we looked like we had been saved so he wanted to talk to us about how he was saved.  Two of the volunteers who were with us stayed and talked with him a little bit while Ivan, my friend, and I went into the home next-door.  We were instantly swarmed with little kids, and a shy girl caught my eye.  I held out my hand and she grasped it firmly and followed me into the house.  Something else fun about this country - every one is treated like your brother or sister.  People I meet will call me "Sister Emily" and their children will call me "Auntie."  I just love it.  So we went into their home and asked them to tell us about themselves.  They went around the room and told us their name and year in school.  They decided they wanted to sing a song for us, so they began singing a song called "God is Good."  My friend asked them if they believed the words of that song, or if they just sang it for no reason.  They said they believed the words, and we asked them how they knew that God was good.  The response we got blew us away.  A ten-year-old girl told us that she was kicked out of school one week because her father forgot to pay her school fees.  Her father had gone away for a long-period of time, which was why he forgot to pay for her schooling.  She was sitting in her home alone, and knew she would be there for a while because she didn't know when her father would get back.  She began praying that God would help her so that she could go back to school, and her father walked in the door because he had decided to come home early.  She said this was when she knew that God was good.  This simply floored us.  You could just tell that she honestly and truly knew Jesus as her friend and father, rock and provider.  It was beautiful.  

Now, let's go back a bit to the shy girl holding my hand.  She stayed by me every second I was there.  She sat next to me on the bench and was constantly stroking each of my fingers.  I held her waist and lifted her to my lap.  She leaned her back against my stomach and closed her eyes, all while holding tightly to both of my hands, making sure they were wrapped around her little body.  After the other girl shared about how she knew God was good, we walked outside and sat in a circle with the other kids.  The rest of them all sang and danced for us, but this little girl only leaned closer into my chest.  I would stand up and try to clap my hands to the songs the other children were singing and she would take my hand and pull me down so I could wrap my arm around her waist, never letting go of her.  These kids knew English very well, so I tried to speak with her, but she would not say a word nor smile.  I finally tilted her sideways and tickled her a little bit, laughing at her, and saw her smile.  It was so beautiful.  I never wanted to let go of her, I only wanted to stay with her until she decided to speak with me, and leaving her was so hard.  She watched me the entire time as we prepared to leave, the sadness that had begun to melt off her face earlier began to mask her beauty once again.  While we were driving back, I asked Ivan to take me back there sometime and he said he would.  I am praying for these children always, but especially for this little girl, of whom I do not even know her name.  

Another amazing thing I saw today at Kyambogo, after the kids finished singing, Ivan told them that if they wanted us to pray for them one-on-one, they could just come and give us some prayer requests.  I got to pray for the girl who spoke earlier about how she knew God was good, I believe her name was Stella.  She asked me to pray for her family because her father was feeling ill and her mother sometimes does not get enough money to pay for her sister's school fees.  I asked her if there was anything she wanted me to pray for her specifically, and she said, "I already told you what I need, I need my family to be happy and rejoicing in God's grace."  I smiled and eagerly prayed for the girl who was already so rich in God's joy and love.  She later ended up praying for the entire group of kids, and even for us volunteers, and it was the most beautiful and heartfelt prayer I have ever heard.  It still moves me to tears thinking about it.  I cannot wait to go back and see her as well.  

Tomorrow we are going to Sanyu babies home.  This is a home for orphaned babies who are 3 years old or younger.  From what I've heard, our only responsibility is to hold and love these children.  I am so eager for this.  I just pray they will grow up to know the love of the God who is already watching over them and caring for them through so many people.  I love you all very much!

In His Love-

Emily

GULU.

Sorry it has been long since I have updated, however I have been in Gulu, Uganda for the past 5 days. If you do not know the conditions of this place, I would encourage you to research it in the news, but a brief explanation that will help you understand - no electricity, no running water.

So an update. Warning: this is probably going to be a long post because I am going to try to cover 5 days worth, and days here seem so long because they are filled with so many blessings. I also might forget things and add them in at places that don't seem to fit.

So, the drive to Gulu took 6 hours, but I stayed awake the entire time because the country is so beautiful. The red dirt roads were the most beautiful contrast with the tropical greens on flocking each side of the road. Each morning when I see the red dirt, I smile because this is one thing God showed me about Uganda that I always associate the country with. I have noticed that this dirt covers everything. I am sure this is symbolic in more ways than I can think now, but the way the Lord has explained this to me so far, is that it represents His love. His love is lavished on every living thing. Every blade of grass, every tree, and every child He has formed. Just like the red Ugandan soil. There are mountains in the distance, and crossing the Nile River with its white-water rapids was the most breathtaking scene. At one point on our drive, we slowed down because there were baboons and monkeys crossing the road and we weren't allowed to drive fast. We also stopped at a town along the way to buy lunch - chapatti and goat-on-a-stick. This is me being honest Emily: goat-on-a-stick is actually SO GOOD! Mixed with the chapatti (basically a wheat tortilla) it is just wonderful. Especially since all of the meals here are carbohydrates (rice & beans, matoke, and potatoes of any kind), having some meat was just delectable.

The time in Gulu was amazing. However, God really showed me why I did not end up staying there for two months - I definitely couldn't have handled it for that long. Oh, He is SO GOOD! And even if His plans seem like they aren't going the way you want them to, there is ALWAYS a reason.

The work we did in Gulu was so physically trying, but it was such a humbling blessing. The reason we were there was to build a house for a widow. Everyone here called her jaja, which means grandmother in Luganda (the main tribal language in Kampala). She had lost her husband and three children in the war, and had decided to take in 9 orphans as her own. So we came to build her a house that is big enough for them all. The work was so hard, and my arms and back are so sore still. We had to haul bricks from one village to the next about a mile away - 1,000 bricks. We mixed cement, and dug trenches. Oh my word, all of my clothes are stained with sweat and are dyed red, the color of the clay bricks. However, our team worked so well together. When one person was tired, they rested and someone else took over their position. My rests were my favorite part of this week because this was the time we would get to play with the children in the area.

Just to help you get a little picture of one of the cultural differences here, we mzungus (white people) attract a LOT of attention from everyone. We walk through the streets of Kampala and hear people whispering, (or speaking at a louder volume) in Luganda about us. When we were in Gulu, whenever we walked outside, kids would peek out of their huts and inch closer and closer to us until we were surrounded by tons of Ugandan children. When we walked through the village, it always turned into a parade of Ugandan children and mzungus. It was so cute though because you could just look to your right and see a little girl staring at you. You could reach your hand out and she would hold your hand the entire way to wherever you were going. It is these little acts of love that have made me fall in love with these children. The language barrier is frustrating though, especially for me because of the love for language God has given me, but in these little interactions, once again words fail. However, these language barriers may even have a reason too. My words can fail at any moment, but the love that Christ has put in my heart for these kids will never fade and will never be wrong.

Hmm, there are so many other things that are going on in my head, but I can’t sort them all now. One night we listened to a neighboring jaja tell stories under the African stars; that was a blessed night. Since we are right on the equator, we saw both northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere stars. We saw the big dipper, and the settler's cross on the same night. I don't think I can describe how wonderful this country is. I also just love listening to these people's stories, and their culture. It is all so interesting to me.

Okay, back to the events of Gulu. I will first say that it gets dark at 8:00 p.m. here and with one candle providing as a light source for 26 people, this is very difficult. Also, squatty-potties are my least favorite thing. They smell so bad, that I cannot go within three feet of one without plugging my nose or I begin dry heaving. Oh, I am so thankful for toilets here in Kampala. The first day in Gulu we spent all day building, it was so hard but the kids were precious. The second day we continued building in the morning, and then we visited the Invisible Children offices after lunch. It was so interesting to hear everything they are accomplishing here in Gulu with the funds they are raising in the U.S. The third day we continued to build, and a group of us decided to clean up their well. Now, when I say well, erase the picture that first comes to your mind. Their well is a stagnant stream FILLED with dirt. We had to "slash" grass with blunt tools, and hoe the dirt and plants out of the stream to allow for a slow trickle to begin flowing on about a 4-foot stretch of this stream. Not only this, but the women walk MILES just to get to this dirty stream. Then they fill their jerry cans with the dirty water, pick it up and carry it on their heads back uphill and miles back to their homes. I simply cannot imagine this sort of life. We also learned on this day, that these villages are in a lot of trouble because many of them are people who have been released from the IDP camps. These people have been doing nothing for 22 years of their lives. In the camps, they simply sat around everyday and waited for NGOs to provide them with their every need. So now, many do not want to pick up a life again where they are forced to farm their food in the immense heat, and walk miles to get their water. They want to wait for someone to give it to them, though there is no one. This is why many of the children watch us drink our water bottles, and beg us for the empty plastic, or even for a little sip. It is heartbreaking.

The fourth day we went to an orphanage in the morning, where we played soccer and volleyball with the kids, put on a skit and told a short message. Our time there was short, so I do not have much to say. After lunch, we visited a secondary school. The British colonized Uganda, so everything here follows the British model of life. Their outlets are the same as in England; under their African accents it is all British, and their schooling system is modeled off of the English. So when I say secondary school, this is the equivalent of high school. This day was so fun. We danced and sang worship songs with them and then one of the team members told another short message. I wish I had videotaped this experience because I am at a loss for words. Just the way Ugandans interact is so awesome to me. They are friendly from the first second they meet you, and are so loud and touchy! When I first learned that this culture is touchy, I had to laugh a little at His perfect planning because this is one of the love languages God has given me. He has made me love physical touch, and this is the way I like to give and receive love. In the culture here, if a friend of yours doesn't touch you at all in a day, (when I say touch I mean, lean on you, hug you, hold your hand, put their arm around you, etc.) you should ask them if they are mad at you. There are no physical boundaries, and it is just so great! After we did these things in the classroom, we played a little volleyball and I met a beautiful girl named Heaven who asked for my phone number. I am sad that I could not give it to her. The fifth day we went to Kampala Pentecostal Church in Gulu in the morning, and it was so fun. Oh, words cannot describe everything I am experiencing here. The ride back to Kampala was so crazy. Well, every car ride is crazy simply because of how many people we stuff into a 14-person van, and the bumpiness of the roads that cause us to bounce all over the place. But we once again stopped for some goat on the way home, and got harassed by some guys selling LIVE chickens. One of the Ugandans almost bought one, but we refused to ride in the car all that way with a live chicken. We also played truth or dare with the Ugandans, which was absolutely hilarious.

The team is also wonderful. I already feel at home with the Ugandans. I told them that I feel that I may be called to live and work here someday, and I have been told I already have a home to stay in when I do come back.

Okay, I know there is much I have left out, but I will end with my favorite moment of the week. The day I met Yella. It was the second day, and I was feeling a little queasy so I sat out of working on the house for a little bit. Of course, there were about 15 little children; a few with babies on their backs, watching us work. The initial response when I sat down was that I tickled their bellies. The laughter and amusement they get out of this simple gesture is so amazing. Then, she caught my eye. She had the most beautiful face, and all she wore was a plaid skirt. She looked at me, trying to decide if she wanted to come closer, and I was captivated. I reached over towards her and tickled her belly and she smiled so big and came running over to me and stood at my knees. I put my hands out for her to hold and she quickly placed her little hands in mine and proceeded to trace the lines on my palms. I smiled at her and she smiled shyly back. I took my hands away so I could open my arms to ask if I could hold her. She jumped into my lap. The other kids were getting a little jealous, so they began to tickle me. Each time I would turn my head away from Yella, she would fling her little arms around my neck, forcing me to hold her closer. I could have stared into her perfect face all day. I watched her and my heart slowly filled with love for her as she touched my foreign white skin, circled the moles and freckles on my arms, touched my hair, stroked my cheeks and lips, giggling when I kissed her finger as she placed it on my lips. When she was done investigating, she smiled at me, and when I returned the gesture she clung closer. She began to speak Acholi, her tribal language and the only language she knew. Oh, I'm not sure anyone will understand how my heart broke to not be able to understand the things she was saying. I began to pray that God would allow us to communicate effectively somehow. This was when she noticed my cross necklace. She picked it up and traced it with her fingers. She spoke some quiet Acholi, and I whispered a word I knew she would know. "Yesu Christo." Her smile was so bright when I said this, and she shook her head yes. She continued to analyze this cross for a while. Then she looked back up at me and took her little hand and made the sign of the cross on my body. My eyes filled with tears of joy at this answered prayer as I made the same gesture on her little body. Quite literally, she blessed me and I blessed her. At that moment, I knew that she is so close to Him. He is her best friend, provider, and Abba Father. She is so desperate for Him, and in that desperation, He has drawn close to her. This reminds me of the warped ways of this world. In His eyes, it is her who is rich and me who is poor. I did not see her the rest of the week until the last day. We had piled into the car, and I searched the sea of faces for the last time, hoping to see her. They were watching us all getting in the van preparing to leave when I recognized her eyes. I smiled at her and waved for her to come close. She ran to the side of the car and reached for my hand. We smiled at each other and held hands until the car was started. I pray I will be able to see her again and that I will recognize her. I am filled with sadness at the thought that I will never be able to see her, but at the same time that moment will be in my heart and mind forever as one of the most blessed times of my life.

That will be it for now. I know that I have left out much, and I am sorry to have done so, but as the Lord is teaching me, our human words are so small and inefficient in comparison to the way He has chosen to communicate with us, to our hearts. I pray that you are all blessed by these stories, and that you do not get sick of my rambling. Tomorrow I begin my first day doing work in the projects in Kampala, I want to ask you to pray for God to give me confidence in His Spirit as I am thrown into a new environment and situation and that He will continue to bless me. I know that I am so unworthy of His blessings, and that He has already given me enough to last me a lifetime, but I also know that our God is a God of excess. Everything He has created is absolutely lavished with His love and that He loves to bless us. So I will gladly and humbly take these blessings in His perfect timing. I love you all, and once again, I am sorry if these posts end up to be few and far-between, please be patient with me. The Internet is very slow here, and I am lucky if I can sign on.
In His Love,
Emily

welcome home.

"Welcome home!"  

This is the phrase that I hear from the minute I step off the plane.  It stuns me into silence the extreme hospitality that the Ugandans practice.  They ask if I am tired, I say I am, though it is not only my physical tiredness that keeps me so silent. I am simply stunned at how spiritually rich they are.

This morning I met a man named Joseph, I have already been deeply blessed by him, and I know I will continue to be in the future. He is truly cloaked in the joy that can only come from Christ. One of the girls commented on his demeanor, and asked him if why he is so joyful, and if he ever isn't. He responded with no, he is never un-joyful. The reason: because this morning, we get to discuss the love of Jesus Christ our Savior and praise Him together as brothers and sisters! I look back at my earlier posts, and much of my walk with Christ so far and I see Him teaching me to live presently. Present being right now, not worrying about the future, past, or anything but now. Present also being in His presence. I can already tell this is something He is going to teach me here.  I have never felt this sense of peace that I feel here, except maybe that day in the park.

As an update on the past days, my flights went well.  I sat next to a professor of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at Michigan State University on the flight from Detroit to Amsterdam.  I was definitely blessed by him, as he told me of the orphanage in Rwanda he was planning to go to.  He explained that his friend started it just a year ago, and it is already flourishing, this is such an encouragement to my dream of my own orphanage.  Then on the flight to Entebbe I sat next to a beautiful girl from London who had the cutest accent.  We hit it off right away, and I believe I will see her again when we visit the place she is working at on one of our projects - Watoto Babies Home.  

Today we are simply preparing, it is a very relaxed day.  Tomorrow we leave for Gulu.  I am praising God at His impeccable planning!  This city has been in my heart and mind for years now and within the first two days here, He has already given me the desires of my heart.  The people here are hilarious and beautiful.  Soulful and deep.  I cannot wait to be deep and intimate friends with them.  They prepare me for Gulu, because they know that what I am expecting is nothing like what I will receive.  I ask that you pray that He will lead me in every endeavor in the next five days in Gulu and that His Spirit would strengthen me and give me confidence in Him.  Also pray for the children of Gulu, that their hearts would be prepared for what He has in store for them.

In His Perfect Love-

Emily

Lastly, I was given a request to put my address on here to continue to make donations, if you send it to my home address with directions on what to do with  it, my mother will take care of it.  She will either put it in my account to pay for amenities here, and gifts for the children, or she can donate it to Empower-A-Child to help pay for child sponsorships.  

[8666 Buffalo Dr.; Commerce Twp., MI 48382]

20 hours and counting...

It still hasn't hit me yet.

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I can't even wrap my head around the idea that tomorrow I will be there.

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The place of my dreams will be my home.

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Well friends, I guess this is the first post of my literal "journey." So far, I have only spoken of the preparations for this trip, and the path that has led me here. Which, now that I look back at them, it makes me laugh to see how intimately planned and unsuspected they were. A year ago today, I was preparing for SpringHill, the 3 weeks that changed my life around. I would NEVER have guessed that within that short time God would lead me here. Africa. Uganda. Gulu. Kampala. Children even. Can you imagine?! A year ago today, I could not STAND being around kids! Now, I am fascinated by them. I look at babies in restaurants and imagine myself years from now (yes Mom & Dad, years...im not ready for this too soon) with a round belly and a little baby bouncing on my knee. I dream of a life in a country where time doesn't matter. Where the days pass, and we take what comes minute by minute, moment by moment. We don't try and spend our moments planning out our weeks. (Why I'm using the plural tense, I'm not sure, but it seems to fit.) I have this image in my mind of me standing outside a beautifully worn clay building, my orphanage. Watching my hundreds of little orphaned children running and playing. I look down at my round pregnant belly and dream of my own child soon to come into the world, and am reminded of how blessed I am. In this image, I never worry what comes next. I never worry where I got the money, where I will get the money, if I will be a good parent, if I'm doing it "right," how I will manage if something terrible happens. I am just there. If someone would have told me a year ago today, that this was my dream and this is what I would be doing a year later, I would have laughed in their face. Now, I can't think of anything else I would rather want.

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As I continue with my last minute packing & preparations, I wonder if I will ever learn to live in the present moment. Does anyone ever "get" to the level of mental maturity to be able to live out that discipline? My mind races from one dream to another of things I would like to do, people & places I would like to see, things I would like to see God do. Each time my mind veers off it's focus, I try to bring it back to this moment, this day and the blessings that have been a part of it. But I'm not sure if this is even the "best" thing to do. I've been trying to have as little expectations for this trip as possible, because I would like to be able to take whatever He sends my way without questioning or doubting. But I am a dreamer. That is one of the gifts He has given me. My mind creates these dazzling images, and incredible dreams, that it is so hard for me not to expect anything because I have now spent months dreaming and wondering. I am torn between embracing my gift and letting it fly, and just "being."

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Well, just an overview of the last minute things that happened today. I am (almost) fully packed, and am confirming my flight as we speak. I just returned home from a going-away party my Mema threw for me with some friends and family members, and it was lovely just to sit and eat a home-cooked meal and talk on my last night in the States. I also got to speak with one of the ladies at Empower-A-Child via skype this morning, which was very exciting! It is so amazing that technology is allowing us to verbally speak to one another on completely opposite sides of the globe! She asked me which places I am most looking forward to seeing, and I told her the orphanage and Gulu. My dream of my own orphanage is what propels me to want to spend as much time as possible there, as well as other dreams that He has blessed me with which I will mention in detail later when He delivers. My heart is also drawn to Gulu simply because that was the first place I had ever even heard of in Uganda from the Invisible Children documentary. (By the way, if any of you want to do some catching up on how I got involved in this, and why I am drawn to Uganda, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTyOL4waE0Q. This is the documentary that propelled my passion 4 years ago. It is in 12 parts on youtube, so after part 1, you can click on part 2 listed on the right-hand side of the screen, etc. It will change you, guaranteed.) Back to my chat with this wonderful woman, when I told her these things, she informed me that I might be able to go to Gulu as soon as Wednesday, because there is a group of people who are already there and are leaving for Gulu on Wednesday. Wow. For starters, this already exceeds my expectations, which is another reason why I want to keep an open mind. I guess we will see what He has in store.

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Yes, we will see.